Jobs You Can Run Away To

Get a (New) Life
If you have fantasies of picking up, packing up and starting a new life somewhere, then one of these jobs may be a great fit for you. Continue clicking through our gallery to learn the pros and cons about jobs that you can run away to.

Jobs You Can Run Away To

Cruise Ship Jobs

On one level, cruise ship jobs seem amazingly glamorous. After all, employees receive free food, accomodations, medical care, airline tickets and uniforms. They often don't have to pay taxes, get discounted cruise rates for family members, and can travel for free. As many cruise ship job sites point out, passengers pay thousands of dollars per week to see the same sites that employees enjoy for free.

On the other hand, cruise ships can get claustrophobic after a while, and many jobs are far from wonderful. After all, when somebody gets seasick, a cruise ship employee has to clean it up, and chances are that the captain won't be the one wielding the mop. Still, cruise ships offer a dizzying array of jobs, a chance to escape to exotic climes, and a steady income, most of which can be banked. Anchors aweigh!

Jobs You Can Run Away To

The French Foreign Legion

Long the stuff of legend, it's surprisingly easy to join the French Foreign Legion. If you are male non-felon between the ages of 17 and 40 in relatively good physical shape, simply present yourself with a form of identification to one of the 11 information offices in France, go to the recruitment officer, and say "voluntaire pour Legion." If you pass the subsequent physical and mental tests, you won't have to make any decisions for the next five years: the Legion will clothe, feed, and house you, as well as give you a new name and all the medical care that you need.

The next five years will be a whirlwind of education, combat, and almost constant training. You will pick up a lot of French, and will constantly engage in hand-to-hand combat with other members of your unit. In all likelihood, you will also travel: depending on where your unit is stationed, you may get to visit Africa, Asia, South America or Europe. At the end of your five year stint, you can choose to re-enlist or can leave the Legion. As an added benefit, you will qualify for French citizenship.

Jobs You Can Run Away To

Park Rangers

Full-time Park Rangers earn a salary of between $24,000 and $37,000 and often receive free housing, in addition to other benefits. Unfortunately, these jobs are tenured and competition is fierce. In addition to a bachelor's degree in park management, natural history, forestry, or a related major, applicants need extensive experience as seasonal rangers or interns.

On the bright side, there are a variety of seasonal jobs available from the National Park Service. The education and experience required depends on the position, and interested parties can apply at USAJOBS, the US Federal government's job site. While park ranger jobs were cut after 2006, it seems likely that these could be among the first positions to benefit from the US government's stimulus plan.

Jobs You Can Run Away To

Nanny

Salaries for live-in nannies vary wildly, depending upon the area, the family, and the nanny's qualifications. In general, nannies in major cities get $18-20 per hour, while live-in childcare in less costly areas is about half that. Entry-level nannies with high school degrees can expect roughly $400 per week, while experienced, trained nannies can expect $1000 per week or more.

While live-in nannies may not qualify for time-and-a-half overtime wages, they still are legally entitled to time off and other benefits. Many nannies get complete compensation packages, including subsidized health insurance, paid vacations, gym memberships, cell phones, and educational allowances.

Jobs You Can Run Away To

Overseas English Teacher

While many Americans feel qualified to teach some form of English, most overseas language schools are interested in teachers with at least a Bachelor's degree, preferably in a language-related field. However, for those who didn't major in linguistics or English as a second language (ESL) education, training is widely available, both in person and as a correspondence course. Two common programs are teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) and teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). Numerous sites offer teaching jobs, but it is wise to consult with friends who have done this before, as school quality varies wildly.

Jobs You Can Run Away To

House Mother

If you're a woman who is over 40 years old who enjoys dealing with adolescents and has experience with running a household, hotel, or small country, this might be the job for you. Basically, a house mother is in charge of the environment of a sorority or fraternity. She deals with the house's staff, plans meals, handles minor disasters, and generally makes sure that her charges' lives run smoothly. Jobs usually include free rent and meals and come with a reasonable salary. Since they are attached to a university, house mother positions may allow you to take advantage of many of the cultural and educational attractions available at your school. Best of all, you get to deal with the wonderful drama of a household full of college girls!

Jobs You Can Run Away To

Ranch Hand

Running away to work on a farm is one of the classic escapist American fantasies. While the dude ranches of the nineteenth century have almost disappeared, there is still a huge livestock industry and plenty of jobs for people with experience in animal husbandry. Depending on the type of ranch, workers can do a wide variety of jobs, including training horses, caring for livestock, taking care of children or young adults, performing general farm work, maintaining corrals, and cooking. While education for this work is generally vocational, some areas will train employees to do the specialized jobs that they require. Depending on the position, the area, the employer, and your level of knowledge, pay and benefits can range wildly. Ranch Work is a good starting place to get a feeling for available jobs, salary possibilities, and benefits involved.

Jobs You Can Run Away To

Camp Counselor

If you sometimes find yourself obsessively watching Meatballs, then camp work might be perfect for you. While salaries vary based on position and experience, you can expect to make a couple of hundred dollars per week, in addition to room, board, and free use of recreational facilities. Positions include lifeguard, counselor, kitchen staff, administrative staff, nursing staff, and maintenance staff, and are available across the country. Added benefits include fresh air, beautiful scenery, and a 50% chance of waking up with your hand in a pot of warm water!

Jobs You Can Run Away To

Migrant Farm Worker

While not quite as bad as The Grapes of Wrath, migrant farm work is tough, and you'll often find yourself in competition with people who are willing to work for next to nothing. On the bright side, however, the world wide opportunities on organic farms network (WWOOF) offers a variety of positions on organic farms around the world. In return for helping with farm work, volunteers receive free food and board. Some farms charge a small organizational fee, but many are free. Best of all, if you've ever wanted to harvest grapes in France, wheat in Italy, or oranges in Israel, this is your chance!

Jobs You Can Run Away To

Celebrity Spinoffs

David Beckham
Surely you know about Beckham's prowess on the soccer field. But did you know this London-born athlete also sells two fragrances called "Instinct" and "Intimately"? A third scent, dubbed "Homme by David Beckham," is currently in development. And these scents bring in some sweet money for the soccer star. In fact, 80% of Beckham's 2011 earnings – which Forbes estimates will total $40 million – come from product endorsements and partnerships. And Beckham isn't done pushing products yet. By year's end, he plans to launch his own underwear and grooming businesses. Not a bad idea -- since the L.A. Galaxy midfielder isn't too shabby looking in a pair of underwear.

Celebrity Spinoffs

Beyoncé Knowles
When Beyoncé sang "Independent Women" and her new hit, "Run the World (Girls)," I guess she really meant it. Despite the fact that her superstar hubby, Jay Z, has some pretty deep pockets, Beyoncé continues to bring home her own bacon – thank you very much – to the tune of $35 million in 2011. Not content with pulling in acting royalties and music-related earnings, Beyoncé keeps her personal cash register ringing courtesy of her Dereon clothing line and endorsement deals with a host of companies ranging from L'Oreal and DirecTV to General Mills. Talk about female empowerment! Plus, Bey is known to be a rare breed among celebs – a frugal kind of gal.

Celebrity Spinoffs

Justin Bieber
My 13-year-old daughter definitely has a bad case of Bieber fever – and so do millions of other teens, tweens and even their moms. All that love has helped the Canadian singer move well beyond the stage to amass a growing business brand. The Bieb has an impressive, if unlikely, mix of products he sells or lends his name to. There's that funky nail polish – with colors like "Baby Blue" – that teenagers especially go crazy over. It's officially called the One Less Lonely Girl nail polish collection for Nicole by OPI, and it's sold exclusively at Walmart, which said that within a few short weeks of its debut, all six of the line's launch colors sold out at more than 3,000 stores across America. The teen sensation also markets a "Someday" fragrance for women as well as a unisex fragrance called "My World." JB has even just inked a merchandising deal with the Middleton family – as in, Prince William's new bride, the former Kate Middleton. The Bieb will be selling piñatas and the "Justin Bieber Party Kit" for the Middleton family's party planning business. Bieber's 2011 earnings? A cool $53 million.

Celebrity Spinoffs

Gisele Bundchen
Since she spends much of her time sporting itty-bitty bikinis and barely-there underwear, perhaps it's no surprise that this year, Gisele will bank mega-bucks – I'm talking $64 million – thanks in large part to lingerie sales. In addition to doing her thing on the catwalk, Gisele has her own skincare line, Sejaa, and lucrative collaborations with Hope lingerie and Ipanema sandals. It must be nice to be a fashion icon, a happily married mom, and the world's top-earning supermodel.

Celebrity Spinoffs

Diddy
The entertainment mogul formerly known as Sean "Puffy" Combs first stormed on the business scene with his Bad Boy record label. Then came his Sean Jean clothing line. But these days, Diddy is probably popping the champagne – or, more likely, the vodka – to celebrate his $475 million net worth and his $35 million in annual earnings. Half of Diddy's yearly pay comes from his deal helping to sell Ciroc vodka. And with Diddy's marketing savvy, Ciroc sales are up dramatically.

Celebrity Spinoffs

Bethenny Frankel
You might think that television viewers would be turned off by seeing a grown woman – 8 months pregnant and squeezed into a wedding dress – peeing into a silver champagne bucket on national TV. Not so for Bethenny Frankel of "The Real Housewives of New York" fame. Her audience loves, loves, loves her willingness to bare it all – and be upfront about her zany life.

A gushing profile on the cover of Forbes has further raised Frankel's profile, especially since the magazine called her the "It" girl of reality TV, crowned her "one of Hollywood's leading entrepreneurs," and asked "Can Bethenny Crack a Billion?" As in, a billion dollars. She's apparently well on her way, having sold her Skinnygirl line of cocktails to Fortune Brands' Beam Global for $100 million. Beyond that, Frankel is a virtual product machine, bringing in $55 million in fiscal 2011 alone on everything from liquor to books.

Celebrity Spinoffs

This tennis pro does well on the court. But off the court, she really aces the competition. Not only is Sharapova the top-grossing female athlete in America, she also happens to make ten times as much from retail partnership deals than she does swinging a racquet. Sharapova is expected to bank $24.2 million in 2011, most of it thanks to Nike, which pays her royalties on her lines of tennis apparel, and Cole Haan, which reports that Sharapova's ballet flat is a top-selling shoe.

While celebrity products can range from the outright fabulous to the utterly ridiculous, what they all have in common is that these stars are strategically using their fame – not to mention the power of the Internet – to reach a wider audience than ever before.

That's just one reason Hollywood A-listers and other bold-faced names aren't just getting rich by selling their own merchandise. Many, like rapper 50 Cent, don't have to actually sell a thing. They can just talk up a product – and do it publicly to their fan base. And the next thing you know...ka-ching! Celebrities can even make money Tweeting about products.

Maria Sharapopva
Clearly, gone are the days when entertainers and athletes only acted, sang or played pro sports for a living. Today, it's all about building a personal brand – and owning or licensing it, of course.

"I think people are going to look at Bethenny Frankel and the amount of money she made and think, 'Whoa, I should be building ownership in companies and brands, too,' " Bob Darwell, a partner at law firm Sheppard Mullin, which represents Frankel, recently told Forbes.

The actress herself was even more blunt in speaking to Forbes: "What's the point of being on TV," Frankel asked, "if you don't have something to sell?"

Celebrity Spinoffs